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Mavs signs G League standout Antonius Cleveland to two-way contract

The Dallas Mavericks aren’t enjoying a particularly smooth 2017-18 campaign, as they are currently scraping the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 2-13 record through their first 15 games.

Nevertheless, the Mavericks are still trying. That much was evident when Dallas decided to give Antonius Cleveland a two-way contract, per Shams Charania of The Vertical.

While Cleveland’s impact on the Mavericks has yet to be felt by the team, it has already affected the basketball career of Gian Clavell, who was waived by the Dallas in order to accommodate Cleveland.

The Mavericks were looking for a more defensive-minded player and found one in Cleveland, albeit at the expense of the shoot-first Clavell, who recently just scored 29 points for the Dallas’ G-League affiliate team Texas Legends.

Before inking a contract with the Mavs, Cleveland, a 6-6 shooting guard, played for the Portland Trail Blazers in the Summer League, where he averaged 5.8 points on 40.3 percent shooting from the field.

Cleveland attended the Southeast Missouri State and played four years for the Redhawks. He led the team in his senior season last year with 16.6 points per game on 54.3 percent shooting from the field.